Protective Guard for a Post, Pole or Leg of a Sign

ABSTRACT

A protective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign is provided. The protective guard may be placed around a post, pole and/or leg of a sign to protect the post, pole and/or leg of a sign from the environment and/or the environment from the post. More specifically, the protective guard is ideal for placement around, for example, the posts of a movable real estate sign. The protective guard is inexpensive to produce and may be used, for example, to prevent the posts of a real estate sign from causing wear and tear on the interior of an automobile and further may prevent wear and tear on the posts of the real estate sign. The protective guard is light weight and easy stored and/or transported prior to use.

The present invention generally relates to a protective guard for apost, pole and/or leg of a sign. In particular, the invention relates toa protective guard which may be placed around a post, pole and/or leg ofa sign to protect the frame, post, pole and/or leg of a sign from theenvironment and/or the environment from the post, pole and/or leg. Morespecifically, the protective guard is ideal for placement around, forexample, the posts of a movable real estate sign. The protective guardis inexpensive to produce and may be used, for example, to prevent theposts of a real estate sign from causing wear and tear on the interiorof an automobile and further may prevent wear and tear on the posts ofthe real estate sign. The protective guard is light weight and easystored and/or transported prior to use.

Everyday hundreds of thousands of signs are inserted and removed fromthe lawns of American homes and businesses. Many of these signs arerealtor signs, garage sale signs, campaign signs, temporary ordinancesigns or business advertisement signs. Typically, these signs have twoposts, poles and/or legs which have a sharp end which are inserted intoa lawn to hold the sign upright. When the need for the sign no longerexists, the sign is generally lifted up from the lawn, removed andtransported for storage or placement at another location.

Aside from spending a great deal of time driving around and showinghomes to clients, realtors often spend a good deal of time drivingaround placing and removing real estate signs. Many of these signs arehigh quality and suitable for all weather use outside. Although many ofthese signs are made from plastic, they often have metal posts, poles orlegs having sharp ends which are inserted into the lawn. As such, it iscommon for the sharp ends of the posts of the signs to scratch and/ortear, for example, the interior of an automobile when they are removedand transported. In addition, the posts, poles and/or legs of the signoften cause dirt, grass and/or other stains in, for example, theinterior of the automobile in which the sign is transported.

Aside from the depreciation in the value of the automobile as a resultof the stains and/or tears caused by the numerous signs, realtors mayalso have difficulty impressing a client when their car appears to bemessy or in poor condition. Therefore, realtors often strive to maintainthe appearance of their car.

A need, therefore, exists for a protective guard for a post, pole or legof a sign which protects the post, pole or leg of a sign from theenvironment and/or the environment from the post, pole or leg of thesign. Further, a need exists for a protective guard which is easilyattached and/or removed from a post, pole or leg of the sign. A stillfurther need exists for a protective guard which is inexpensive toproduce.

The present invention is directed toward a protective guard forprotecting a post, pole or leg of a sign from the environment and/or theenvironment from a post, pole or leg of a sign. The protective guard isideal for placement around, for example, the posts of a movable realestate sign. Further, the protective guard is inexpensive to produce andmay be used, for example, to prevent the posts of a real estate signfrom causing wear and tear on the interior of an automobile and furthermay prevent wear and tear on the posts of the real estate sign. Theprotective guard is light weight and easy stored and/or transportedprior to use.

In a preferred embodiment, the protective guard may be constructed froma type of plastic; however, the protective guard may be constructed fromany suitable material, such as, metal. In an alternative embodiment, theprotective guard may be constructed from, for example, cardboard. Aprotective guard constructed from cardboard may be light weight, storedin a flat position and discarded after a single or limited amount ofuses.

In an embodiment, the protective guard for the post of a sign has a tubehaving a top end; a bottom end; a length; a width; an opening having alength along the length of the tube; and a hollow interior wherein apost is inserted into the opening along the tube.

In another embodiment, the protective guard has a removable cap insertedover the top end.

In still another embodiment, the protective guard has a removable capinserted over the bottom end.

In yet another embodiment, the protective guard has a removable capinserted over the top end and the bottom end.

In still another embodiment, the tube of the protective guard isgenerally cylindrical.

In another embodiment, the protective guard is made from cardboard.

In an embodiment, the protective guard has an adjustable sliding cover.

In still another embodiment a portion of the removable cap of theprotective guard covers a portion of the opening of the protective guardalong the length of the tube.

And in another embodiment, a portion of the removable cap of theprotective guard prevents the post from exiting the opening along thelength of the tube when the removable cap is inserted over the top endof the protective guard.

In another embodiment, a second post is inserted into the opening alongthe tube.

It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide aprotective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign.

A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a protectiveguard for a post, pole or leg of a sign which may be transported and/orstored easily prior to use.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide aprotective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign which is economicalto produce.

A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide aprotective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which preventsdirt on the post from contacting, for example, the interior of a car.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide aprotective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which preventsany sharp edges on the post from scratching or tearing, for example, theinterior of a car.

Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a protectiveguard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which is light weight.

A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide aprotective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which preventsthe post from bending.

For a more complete understanding of the above listed features andadvantages of the protective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign,reference should be made to the following detailed description of thepreferred embodiments and to the accompanying drawings. Further,additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of thepreferred embodiments and from the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of the protective guard.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a sign.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the protective guard with thesign post in the process of being inserted.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the protective guard with the post ofa sign inserted.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side perspective view of a post within theprotective guard wherein the post is secured by a portion of a removablecap.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrates a side perspective view of the collapsingof a sign having four posts.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b illustrates a front perspective view of two postsbeing inserted into a single protective guard.

The present invention generally provides a protective guard forplacement around a post, pole or leg during transportation. Theprotective guard may be constructed from plastic or any other suitablematerial. Alternatively, the protective guard may be constructed from,for example, cardboard and may be discarded after a single use or alimited amount of uses. The protective guard may have removable caps forsecuring the post, pole or leg within the protective guard as well asblocking dirt or other material from exiting the protective guard.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts,FIG. 1 illustrates a protective guard 1 for protecting a post, pole orleg (hereinafter called a post) 40 (as illustrated in FIG. 2) from theenvironment and/or the environment from the post 40. The protectiveguard 1 has a top side 2, a bottom side 3, a length 4 and a width 16.Preferably, the protective guard 1 is cylindrical, but the protectiveguard 1 may be generally rectangular or any other shape. The top side 2of the protective guard 1 and the bottom side 3 of the protective guard1 are preferably circular in shape and may have a diameter 15. Further,the protective guard 1 may have an exterior 5 and an interior 6. Theinterior 6 of the protective guard 1 is hollow, so as to allow a post 40to be placed inside the protective guard 1.

The top side 2 of the protective guard 1 may have an opening 17 and thebottom side 3 of the protective guard 1 may have an opening 18. The twoopenings (opening 17 and opening 18) may allow an object to pass throughthe top side 2 of the protective guard 1 to the bottom side 3 of theprotective guard 1.

A generally rectangular opening 8 may be present along the length 4 ofthe protective guard 1. The generally rectangular opening 8 may have atop edge 9, a bottom edge 10, a first side 111 and a second side 12. Thetop edge 9 and the bottom edge 10 of the generally rectangular opening 8may be shorter than the width 16 of the protective guard 1. The firstside 11 and the second side 12 of the generally rectangular opening 8may be shorter in length than the length 4 of the protective guard 1. Inthe preferred embodiment, the first side 11 and the second side 12 ofthe generally rectangular opening 8 is approximately seventy-fivepercent of the length 4 of the protective guard 1. Although, the firstside 111 and the second side 12 of the generally rectangular opening 8may be of any length. Further, the generally rectangular opening 8 ispreferably located closer to the top side 2 of the protective guard 1than to the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1 (as illustrated inFIG. 1).

More specifically, the generally rectangular opening 8 may be closeenough to the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 so that only a thinstrip 70 of the protective guard 1 separates the top edge 9 of thegenerally rectangular opening 8 from the top side 2 of the protectiveguard 1. Preferably, the thin strip 70 is between one-eight of an inchin length to four inches in length; however, the thin strip 70 may be ofany length. The thin strip 70 may help secure the post 40 within theprotective guard 1 by, for example, preventing the post 40 from slippingout the generally rectangular opening 8.

Still referring to FIG. 1, a first cap 20 may be inserted over the topside 2 of the protective guard 1. Preferably, the first cap 20 iscylindrical in shape so as to match the shape of the protective guard 1.The first cap 20 may have a length 21, a width 22, a top side 23, abottom side 24 and a diameter 25. The bottom side 24 of the first cap 20may have an opening 26 and the top side 23 of the first cap 20 may nothave an opening. The diameter 25 of the first cap 20 may be slightlylarger than the diameter 15 of the protective guard 1 so that the firstcap 20 may slide over the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 and besecured by, for example, friction. Further, friction may hold the firstcap 20 on the protective guard 1 until, for example, such time as it isdesired to remove the first cap 20 from the protective guard 1. Thebottom side 24 of the first cap 20 may cover a portion of the generallyrectangular opening 8 when the first cap 20 is inserted onto theprotective guard 1. A second cap 30 may inserted over the bottom side 3of the protective guard 1. The second cap 30 may have similar dimensionsas the first cap 20.

The protective guard 1 may further have an adjustable sliding cover 75(as illustrated in FIG. 3) which may be used to adjust the size of thegenerally rectangular opening 8. The adjustable sliding cover 75 may besecured within a track 76 which may allow the adjustable sliding cover75 to move in a direction parallel to the length 4 of the protectiveguard 1. The adjustable sliding cover 1 may allow the protective guard 1to be used for a variety of different sized posts. The adjustablesliding cover 75 is preferably made from the same material as theprotective guard 1. Construction of an adjustable sliding cover 75 andthe track 76 are generally known by those in the art and will not bediscussed in further detail herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a sign 50 may be used to advertise and/orinform the public of a variety of information. Typically, such signs 50have a first post 40 and a second post 41. Most signs 50 have two posts40 which are inserted into the ground, one on each side, which are usedto elevate and secure the sign 50. Generally, the two posts 40 and 41are mirror images of each other and, therefore, have the same features.The first post 40 may have a first end 42, a second end 43 and a length44. The length 44 of the post 40 is generally less than the length 4 ofthe protective guard 1. The first end 42 of the post 40 may be generallyflat and the second end 43 of post 40 may have a sharp edge 45. Thesharp edge 45 of the second end 43 of the post 40 may allow the post 40to be inserted into a lawn for securing the sign 50.

Alternatively, the sign 50 may have four posts (as shown in FIG. 6)wherein the first ends 42 of the posts 40 are connected and the secondends 43 of the posts 40 are separated when the sign 50 is in use. Inthis design, a side view of the sign 50 in use appears to be generallytriangular in shape. Further, the second ends 43 of these posts 40 oftendo not have a sharp edge. Instead, the user separates the second edges43 of the posts 40 and forms an inverted “V” shape to balance the sign50. These signs 50 are especially suitable for use on concrete or othersurfaces in which it is difficult or impossible to pierce the ground tosupport the sign 50. After use, the user collapses the inverted “V”shape by moving the second ends 43 of the connected posts 40 next toeach other. The sign 50 is then typically transported in the collapsedposition.

Generally, a person either lifts the two post (40 and 41) sign 50 out ofthe ground or collapses the four post sign after use and places the sign50 in, for example, his/her automobile for transportation. Because theposts 40 of the sign 50 are often covered in dirt, grass, rust or othermaterial and often have a sharp edge 45, it is common for the posts 40of the sign 50 to create a mess and/or tear, for example, the seats ofan automobile. To prevent the wear and tear on the automobile, theperson may place the posts 40 of the sign 50 into the protective guard1.

More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the second end 43 of thepost 40 is inserted into the generally rectangular opening 8 of theprotective guard 1. The protective guard 1 is generally constructed sothat the length of the top edge 9 and length of the bottom edge 10 ofthe generally rectangular opening 8 are at least slightly larger than awidth 46 of the standard post 40 of a sign 50. As a result, the post 40may be inserted into the generally rectangular opening 8.

After the second end 43 of the post 40 is inserted into the generallyrectangular opening 8, the post 40 is pushed downward toward the bottomside 3 of the protective guard 1. More specifically, the post 40 ispushed downward until approximately a connection point 47 on the post 40(which is connected to an indicia surface 48 surface of the sign 50).When the second end 43 of the post 40 is inserted into the generallyrectangular opening 8 and the connection point 47 on the post 40 is nearthe bottom edge 10 of the generally rectangular opening 8, the first end42 of the post 40 may slide downward and the post 40 may be essentiallycompletely within the protective guard 1. When the post 40 is within theprotective guard 1, the connection point 47 and the indicia surface 48of the sign 50 may be located essentially outside of the protectiveguard 1 and connected to the post 40 through the generally rectangularopening 8.

Referring now to FIG. 4, after the post 40 is inserted essentiallycompletely inside the protective guard 1 (as stated above) the first cap20 may be inserted over the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 and thesecond cap 30 may be inserted over the bottom side 3 of the protectiveguard 1. Inserting the first cap 20 and the second cap 30 over theprotective guard 1 may prevent, for example, dirt or other material fromfalling off the post 40 and out of the two openings (openings 17 and 18as illustrated in FIG. 1) of the protective guard 1. Instead, the dirtor other material is trapped within the interior 6 of the protectiveguard 1. To remove the post 40 from the protective guard 1 for use, thereverse process takes place.

Further, when the post 40 is inserted into the protective guard 1, anysharp edges (for example, the sharp edge 45 as illustrated in FIG. 2) onthe post 40 may be located within the interior 6 of the protective guard1. As a result, any sharp edges of the post 40 are prevented fromdamaging any material of, for example, the interior of an automobile.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, while the first cap 20 is inserted over thetop side 2 of the protective guard 1, the bottom side 24 of the firstcap 20 may cover a portion of the generally rectangular opening 8. Morespecifically, a portion 80 of the first cap 20 may prevent the post 40from being removed from the protective guard 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the embodiment of the sign 50 having fourposts 40 (FIGS. 6 a and 6 b), the inverted “V” is collapsed and then twoposts 40, instead of one, are inserted into the generally rectangularopening 8 of a single protective guard 1.

Although embodiments of the present invention are shown and describedtherein, it should be understood that various changes and modificationsto the presently preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilledin the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention and withoutdiminishing its attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended thatsuch changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

1. A protective guard for the post of a sign comprising: a tube having atop end, a bottom end, a length, a width; an opening having a lengthalong the length of the tube; and a hollow interior wherein a post isinserted into the opening along the tube.
 2. The protective guard ofclaim 1 further comprising a removable cap inserted over the top end ofthe protective guard.
 3. The protective guard of claim 1 furthercomprising a second removable cap inserted over the bottom end of theprotective guard.
 4. The protective guard of claim 1 further comprisinga removable cap inserted over the top end of the protective guard and asecond removable cap inserted over the bottom end of the protectiveguard.
 5. The protective guard of claim 1 wherein the tube is generallycylindrical.
 6. The protective guard of claim 1 wherein the protectiveguard is made from cardboard.
 7. The protective guard of claim 1 furtherhaving an adjustable sliding cover.
 8. The protective guard of claim 2wherein a portion of the removable cap covers a portion of the openingalong the length of the tube.
 9. The protective guard of claim 2 whereina portion of the removable cap prevents the post from exiting theopening along the length of the tube when the removable cap is insertedover the top end of the protective guard.
 10. The protective guard ofclaim 1 further having a second post inserted into the opening along thetube.
 11. The protective guard of claim 1 wherein the protective guardis made from plastic.